Grease, dental floss back up city sewers
Local residents who give nary a thought to dumping hamburger
grease down the kitchen drain or flushing dental floss down the
toilet can damage not only their own plumbing but city sewer
systems as well
– ultimately forcing costly repairs.
Grease, dental floss back up city sewers
Local residents who give nary a thought to dumping hamburger grease down the kitchen drain or flushing dental floss down the toilet can damage not only their own plumbing but city sewer systems as well – ultimately forcing costly repairs.
In their February City Connections newsletter, Morgan Hill officials explained the problems simple household waste can cause when disposed of through the sewers. Many of the culprits of plugged city sewers are the same ones seen time and again.
“Most of the time its what people put in the sewer that cause the plugs,” said Mario Iglesias, Morgan Hill’s utility systems manager.
Fry up bacon, hamburger or other high-fat foods and after cooling the greasy fat residue left over hardens into a thick, gray-white substance. Sending it down the drains while it is still hot doesn’t keep it from turning solid. When hot grease hits cold sewer pipes, it hardens. Regular dumping of grease will build up in pipes and cause a backup.
Grease from fatty foods is the No. 1 culprit of resident-caused backups in the city sewer system.
“People think simply because they use hot water that it will be fine,” said Art Soza, a senior utility worker, who works with the city’s wastewater system. “If you can store it in an old coffee can, that works great. One lady says she uses the same coffee can, but fills it with napkins and pours the grease on that and it helps absorb the smell.”
If the slick liquid poured down drains makes it into the city’s sewer system, it can cause problems for not just one resident but for entire neighborhoods.
The city has two “flusher” trucks that work to clear out sewer mains each day and they are used every day by sewer crews. Most of the sewer restrictions are caused by grease, according to sewer staff.
Commercial facilities such as restaurants are required to have grease traps that control the amount of grease that goes down drains, Iglesias said, so many of the grease clogs are caused by individual residents.
Some sewer problems are the cause of natural wear and tear on pipes.
“We have some areas where because the ground moves it will sag or it will actually break,” Iglesias said. “Joints will separate or misalign.”
Sewer crews use video cameras to help find places where pipes need to be flushed or repaired.
Residents cause another problem for Morgan Hill, which relies on lift station pumps to move sewer from lower elevations to higher elevations as waste is pumped to a treatment plant in Gilroy. Dental floss flushed down toilets wreaks havoc on the pump system.
“We have a lot of pumps to get things over the hills in several areas,” Iglesias said. “When [dental floss] builds up, it literally turns into rope. Think of how tough it is to tear with your fingers. It’s tough to break down.”
If enough dental floss wraps around the impellers – the equipment that moves waste against gravity – it can stop them completely until sewer crews can go in and cut off the floss.
Residents can also help alleviate clogs by being judicious about what goes down their garbage disposals and in their toilets.
“One other problem is people like to use their garbage disposal as a garbage can,” Soza said. Eggshells and coffee grinds are no-nos.
Flushing items down the toilet such as diapers, feminine hygiene products or rags cause sewers to back up as well.
“If we come across an area and find a similar problem time after time, we try to talk to residents.”
Despite the hard work that goes into keeping the drains clean, the crews get a laugh at some of the things they find in the sewer.
One city worker found an unopened six-pack of beer near an open manhole cover nearby – where the beer must have been dropped in. Whether is was a sudden urge to quit drinking or teen spied by a neighbor is still open to speculation.
Iglesias reminded residents that open manhole covers should be reported to the city and residents should stay away from them.
A children’s bicycle is one of the largest items sewer crews have found.
“A couple years ago we found a bike in a manhole,” Soza said. “It was around Christmas so we think a kid wanted a new bike and stashed his old one.”
For questions on what should and shouldn’t go down the drains in Morgan Hill, call 408-779-7221. For other cities, contact the local public works departments.
